So Very Hungry For Love
by Kylee M. Fowler
Summary: Takes place after the Battle at Iifa Tree. Zidane tries to explain to Quina what love is.


**A/N: Wow, haven't uploaded anything to this site for a while. I've mostly been doing fictionpress stuff. Anyway, last night I was staying up pretty late playing Final Fantasy IX for the bajillionth time, when I got this crazy idea in my head. Tell me if you like it, tell me if you hate it. You can even flame, I don't mind.**

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Zidane slumped further down in his chair at the table in the bar. Quietly, he traced the stains of various spills on the table with his fingers. _I should have at least comforted her there at the beach. Why couldn't I say anything? I couldn't tell her a damn thing!_

After a while of tracing stains and moping, Zidane banged his head a few times on the table, and then rested his head in his arms. _She looked so sad. She needed someone. I couldn't be there for her…_

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his tail, as if it had been stepped on. Zidane jolted up out of his seat, ready to attack. He turned around to confront the offender who had stepped on his tail, only to find a familiar frog-eating Qu.

"Quina!" Zidane shouted angrily, "watch where you're walking, alright?"

"I very sorry," said Quina, his/her tongue flapping around as s/he shook her head, looking around the pub, "I looking for delicious munchies!"

Zidane sighed, smiling a little. _Some people never change. Maybe I should be more carefree like him/her._

"Something wrong?" Quina asked, noticing Zidane's uneasiness. "Someone burn your toast this morning?"

Zidane sat back down in his chair, and rested his elbow on the table. "No, Quina… No…"

Quina sat down in the chair next to him, but broke it under his/her weight. S/he continued sitting there as if nothing had happened, and people gave her dirty glares.

"Tell me what's wrong!" Quina said, breaking the awkward silence.

_I guess I should just tell him/her. S/he probably won't tell anyone anyway. All she cares about is eating, and I need to talk to someone._

"Quina…" Zidane began. "Have you ever been in love?"

Quina pondered for a moment, then looked up at Zidane and said, "Love? What's that? Does it taste good?"

Zidane sighed, "No Quina, love doesn't really have anything to do with eating."

"Then tell me! What is love like?" Quina demanded pounding the ground.

"Okay! Okay! Just stop making a racket!" Zidane said nervously, as he noticed Dante's glare from across the room. "Let's see, how is the best way to explain this to you…?"

Quina's stomach suddenly rumbled very loudly, causing more stares from people in the bar. Zidane drummed his fingers on the table, and then came up with an idea.

"Hey Quina… do you know what it's like to be hungry?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes, I hungry right now. I always hungry!" S/he said. "I come in here looking for good food because I hungry!!"

"No, I mean… do you know what it's like to be REALLY hungry?"

Quina nodded and said, "Yes!! I very hungry right now! I extremely hungry!" then s/he added, "So love is like being hungry?"

"Yes! Okay, good." Said Zidane, then after seeing Quina's sad face, added, "I mean, good that you understand, not good that you're hungry."

"Is love bad?" Quina asked.

"What?" Zidane said, startled, "No! Of course it's not! It's a wonderful thing! Especially when two people are in love with each other…"

Zidane's voice trailed off, as he remembered Dagger. _I guess love isn't ALWAYS a good thing, especially when it's unrequited…_

Quina interrupted Zidane's thoughts once more by saying, "But if love is like being hungry… REALLY hungry… then love is a bad, bad thing!"

"Um, no!" Zidane started. "Well, love can make you pretty sad sometimes, but most of the time it's a very, very good thing, Quina! You remember when we met for the first time at the marsh?"

"Yes! You catch me frog!" Quina said.

"Yeah!" said Zidane. "Well, were you REALLY hungry _before_ I gave it to you?"

"I starving! Very bad luck catching frogs that day…" Quina said with a little lament in his/her voice.

"Okay, so you know that feeling when you eat something after being really hungry for so long? Do you know what I'm talking about?" Zidane asked, hoping that Quina would understand his odd metaphor that he was making up on the spot.

"Yes!!" Quina said enthusiastically. "Love is like eating very good food after being hungry long time!!"

"Exactly!" Zidane shouted, pounding his fist on the table. The few people that were in the pub stared at him, so he lowered his voice, "yes Quina, I think you understand what it is now."

"But sometimes when I eat after being hungry for so long, it not always taste good. It sometimes burnt, or undercooked!" Quina said.

"Well, sometimes you don't always find your _true_ love the first time." Zidane said. Then, trying to connect it to his metaphor, added, "True love is… when you find the best food that you could ever find after being hungry for so long."

"What food is that???" Quina asked excitedly. "Is it famous Queensmeal??"

"No Quina, it's-"

"Then must be delicious Conde Petie Pumpkin Bomb!!"

"Quina! Listen to m-"

"Could it be… mouth watering SOUTH GATE BUNDT CAKE???!!!???"

"QUINA!!!"

By this time everyone in the pub had their eyes on Zidane and Quina. The duo had both jumped to their feet sometime during the scene of shouting, and the owner of the pub behind the counter was glaring at them. Zidane scratched his head and sat down, hoping that people would stop paying attention to them soon.

"Quina," Zidane said, keeping his voice down, "you know why you have been traveling with me?"

"Of course! To reach high level of gourmand, and find most delicious food in all of Gaia!" S/he said.

"Well, the reason that I have been traveling is-"

"Zidane?" Quina said suddenly. "Do you love me? Am I hungry food you been wanting to eat for so long??"

"Ahhh! NO!!" Zidane yelled. By this time everyone had left the bar, so the only person staring at them was the angry bartender. "Quina, there's someone _else _I'm in love with! The reason I traveled the world is because of _her_!"

"Who?" Quina asked.

Zidane lowered his voice and whispered, "Dagger."

"Who??"

"Princess - I mean - Queen Garnet."

Quina stared at him with a blank face, and then realized who, "OHHH!! I cook good meal for her once! On her birthday!"

Zidane sighed. _At least we've gotten somewhere. I've finally told _someone_ my feelings._

"Does she really taste good? To you?" Quina asked.

Zidane smiled, happy that Quina finally understood what love meant, and the odd metaphor he had created had paid off. "Yes Quina. To me, Dagger, who is about to become the Queen of Alexandria… is the most delicious meal in the world. And she is the only one who can satisfy my ever-growing hunger, called love."

Quina smiled, in a seemingly understanding way. "She must taste very good."

"Yes," said Zidane, nodding.

"I go eat her then!" S/he said running towards the door. "I so hungry! I so VERY hungry!!"

"No! Quina! Wait!!" Zidane cried. He stood up as if he were going to chase her, but then stopped. He sighed, laughing a bit, and then sat back down. _S/he would never get to her, Steiner would never allow it. Old Rusty's protected her for his whole life._

_I want to be the one to protect her… When she's in danger, I need to be there for her to keep her safe._

Zidane rested his head back in his arms, wondering when he would see her again, and if he would ever be able to tell her how he truly felt.


End file.
